You Can't Reparo A Broken Heart
by silenthaiku
Summary: Hermione & friends all were up for using a mamping Time Turner, you know, to save the world, end Voldedort's reign. But what's the protocal when you fall in love with The enemy? PLOT TWISTS!SURPRISE PAIRS! HG LL NL DM not-just-another-time-turner-fic!
1. I Might Have Loved You Once Upon A Time

_You Can't Reparo A Broken Heart_

_Chapter One_

I turned my eyes to Neville, the closest to the narrow slit of a window. His once rotund and puffed face thin and drawn. I saw in him the shades of grey we all had- but the most easy to see on Neville- the shades of grey from having to do despicable things and not have enough time to give remorse. Especially his eyes. His eyes told it all. We_ belong to Neville Longbottom. We are nineteen years old. We lost our grandmother. Neville has never looked in the mirror at us again._

Tentatively, he pulled his nose, and a ghastly chill came through me when I heard a crack and a moan as he pulled it furtively back into place, blood now once again running freely.

"Episkey," I whispered.

I craned my eyes to Luna. I smiled a half-smile when I realised how close we were now, how we had confided in each other of our darkest thoughts in the moments when we didn't think they could get any blacker. Her purple hair and near charred arms may have looked intimidating to anyone else, but to me, they showed her true character, and it was wonderful. Quietly brave. Vibrant.

Lastly, my eyes to Draco. While still holding grudges to people of my heritage, he still at least acted civil- it was the least you could hope for out of him. Snide undercuts and joking was how he was these days. I supposed I could live with that. It'd do.  
Nevertheless, prejudice aside, he was a good person, and a valuable and trusting person underneath his prickly and grinding nature. Draco returned my deep gaze with a slight nod, licking his lips, perspiration flowing down his translucent face.

"Hermione?" it wasn't a question, more of an insistence.

I turned my head sharply, towards Harry's voice. "Yes," I said resignedly, like talking to a toddler. "I'm ready. We can do this. It's simple. Like breathing; in and out... yeah? Just don't forget whoever's last to burn the ladder- it's a long way down."

Hastily, as Neville pointed at the sky now filled with broomsticks and Death Eaters, all of us in almost perfect synchronization yelled, "_Wingardium Leviosa!_

Three fell like flies.

I swung the broken barricade down the stairs, swishing my wand wrist to make sure it hit as much of the staircase as it could muster; the more obstacles the better -_every second counts_-while simultaneously, Neville , Luna and Draco all burst from behind me from the emerald green velvet curtains covering the window.

"Come on, Hermione!" Urged Luna, halfway down the ladder, waiting and pausing to say almost excitedly but still at a Luna pace, "we haven't got enough _time_ to let the wrackspurts jump about-"

A tumult from behind me almost drew me to break into a run. But I held my ground. "Go, Luna," I said coldly.

_I could hear them. They were here.  
_I gave Luna a second to respond, but I snapped at the idea of her trying to stop me.  
"Go now!" I yelled with venom. There was no other way. She wouldn't listen otherwise.

_Cruel to be kind, Hermione._

Her purple plaited hair swivelled around in the air, I imagined it wafting the earthy 'Luna' smell I loved. I might've heard her stifle a whimper, but without enough time for me to question, she scarpered down the ladder, skipping rungs at frantic paces, until gradually, the echoing got quieter and quieter and then Luna was gone.

"So just me and you," said Harry simply. "We can hold them. You'll see. We'll hold them."

He sounded so assured. A little child telling you everthing is going to be okay. I stared at Harry fixedly. It was hard. I looked away.

His face was so _sure._  
"You go too, then." I murmured. And that venom came back, strengthened with bravery I didn't have. Harry's body merged, and he was gone too.

I'm entirely alone.

_But why didn't anyone stop me? They could've stopped me. I would've listened.  
_Hermione _knew _she wouldn't have listened.

"No-one can stop _me_, Hermione Jean Granger," said a high, cold voice behind her. "You've witnessed that first-hand."

I was so used to bowing at his presence- it was a reflex, the air around Voldemort so full of heavy powerful magic it would pull me down either way, but now I held my ground, tall, proud, scared. All that time ago, you never willingly did it, you'd just … and your head inclined slightly. Submissive. Your mind recognizing the superior magic wielder in the room.

"They'll stop you." I said with the smuggest face I had, because I knew they could. They had all the weapons at their command, all the brains and all the things they needed. Even without me. At this thought, slowly, I tried to channel Luna and make my expression almost serene. Above this.

He spat at my feet. "Dirty little mudblood, thinking you can talk in a Lord's presence..."

"When I see a Lord worthy of respecting, then I will" I retorted, grasping the thin wood in my sleeve. Any moment now, he'll take it, any moment.

He hissed in a breath and you could see him waiting to see how they were going to react. They did with catcalls. But I could feel the hostility and the gaze of their shadowed eyes bore into me.

His throng of admiring Death Eaters sniggered louder as the ringmaster turned to the audience. This was when I noticed their wands were not brandished._ Why are their wands not brandished? Aren't they expecting me to bravely fight back?_

"We know you have the information Hermione Granger, so we will spare your life, if you give it to us."

_No, you won't._  
shook my head, not daring to find out what he would do if I spoke again.

His colourless face twisted for a split second with rage, but he held it in and widened his eyes and his smile instead, as he approached step by wicked step. "No matter, Granger. We have ways other than merely _asking _ to help loosen your tongue..."

Suddenly, I felt a buzzing, and a... there was no other way to explain: a squashing feeling in my head.

_He's trying to read my mind._

"Protego!" I yelled in vain, as Voldemort countered, still looming slowly eerily closer, closer, closer, so close I could see the sparse hairs in his thin slitted nostrils, breathing in and out. Easy.

"You're still human," I said, with bravado, more to the Death Eaters than anything. "And for that-"  
Without warning, not that I'd give it him, I flung a lasso of fire around my feet, wielding my wand high around my head as the Death Eaters got theirs out with quick flourishes.  
To give me time.

I transformed.  
The last thing the dumbstruck Death Eaters saw was a phoenix shoot out of the sky and a bright jet of light following me.

The last thing I felt was a lightning hot bolt of pain and black as dark as the look in Neville's eyes.

_Make it count._


	2. Her Name Was Margie,She Was A Portrait

_thanks for taking a peek, let me know if you think if i should carry this on or not!_

* * *

"That has to be the most stupid idea I've heard of," said an unblinking Hermione "and I was in the DA with Ronald Weasley. That says something."

"What do you expect, Granger," he sneered, "I can hardly do all of the work myself. We're _supposed _to be a team. It was only an idea, anyway; I've got no idea what Dumbledores gonna say-"

"Can it, Draco. You give me the most god awful headaches..." Neville rubbed the sides of his nose soothingly.

"Fine. We'll talk later."

"Ok. Besides, I'm ready to go in. Stay put, hopefully, I won't be long. Wish me luck!" Hermione smiled and turned to face the staircase of Albus Dumbledore. "Cherry Drops."

"_Expelliarmus_!" yelled Neville, as he caught Draco's wand.

"_Hey! _The hell was that for?" roared Draco thunderously, snatching the hawthorn wand back.

"I- well, _sorry,_ I didn't think I'd be able to do it again... I was just practicing for, eh, for-"

"Now now," soothed Luna, "there's no harm done, is there?" she stared pointedly at Draco, whose hands were clutching his wand menacingly, sparks crackling at the end at Neville.

"Guess not," Malfoy said glumly.

For minutes, no-one spoke: Neville began practicing silently summoning objects from the corridor (at first, he had begun attempting silently summoning the spear in the hands of one of the knights, but as Luna pointed out, why would Neville want a spear to be flung at him? So he eventually began attempting to silently summon Luna's newest copy of the Quibbler) and Draco and Luna together were looking out on the grounds. So much had happened since being able to run around free- or indeed, for Draco, just to ride a broom for the _fun_ of it- although in reality, not much time, if any, had passed.

The snow was falling thickly now- the ice had almost frozen over the top of the entire Lake- surely the merpeople below were throwing some Mermish fit. The snow, luckily meant, that they had practically the entire castle all to themselves- and more importantly, no awkward questions from any students wondering where they had all been since- well. **Since.**

Draco simmered in the silence, slowly losing his anger and sadness, first-handedly appreciating the backdrop of their meeting with Dumbledore tonight. _It was breathtaking, and it still is._

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" said Luna suddenly to him, almost as if she could read minds (that was the thing with Luna, so eerily right at the most unnerving of moments.

"Yes," whispered Draco noncommitally, figeting.

Pulling another kooky smile, Luna grabbed a hold on his hand, swaying slightly, gazing into the folds of hill surrounding Hogwarts. "I've always liked the lake best. It's like a mirror of the sky- don't you ever think that?"

"Yes," he repeated, slightly wary of Luna and her... ways.

To Draco's surprise, Luna began to lightly trace his fingers, the slightest touch. He felt entranced, and yet at the same time, every part of his body was awake. A crooked smile came on his face, so, slowly, keeping hold of Luna's thin fingers, sat on the sill of the window, overlooking the lake and hills of Hogwarts' grounds.

"Wonder what our mission is going to be?" wondered Neville out loud.

"Either way, we'll be moving from here. That's why Luna and I have our bags packed in the Room of Requirement." replied Draco. "I don't know why we had to take the extra precautions by leaving everything there- no-one's here, apart from Dumbledore and the house -one wanted to stay here since..." **Well. Since.**

"I heard about that, when I was in Romania. Daddy wrote that the Dark Lord sanctioned ex-prisoners from Askaban to come here. I feel on edge every minute, especially since you two are the only ones with wands," Luna added sadly, refering to the Loss of Twowands (as they had called it, when Avery had cornered Luna and wrestled the wand from her grip, and in return, Luna had wrenched Avery's from his, although she had it used as a chopstick in her plaited hair at this moment in time: not deeming it worthy enough to channel magic through).

Neville threw out a smile. "Gosh... Hermione's been a while," he sighed. "Dumbledore must be giving her an earful. I'm glad I'm not up there, doing what she's doing. I'd go spare with all the responsibility..." Neville shuddered at the thought.

"He's already nuts," Draco whispered to Luna. She looked back at him and nodded serenely. "Just like you..." he added in a voice too low to hear.

With the sprite of a snitch, Draco leapt to his feet, his bottle green travelling cloak clinging to rising dust. "Maybe we should do something more practical while waiting? Say, I don't know, practice _important _spells or something?"

Neville saw what he was trying to do.  
"Nice try, Malfoy," spluttered Neville, "I'm not going to fall for that again. There are only so many times you can Bat Bogey Hex me and get away with it." Neville's arms were shaking, his fists balled up and rattling at his side.

Neville snapped a lot now. Sometimes he was as headstrong as Draco, as intelligent as Hermione, as dreamy as Luna, but the moment you talked or reminded him of old times- he snapped. Like a wand after meeting a Whomping Willow- if there was such an occurance.

"Relax, Neville, it's fine. I've got him on a tight leash." piped Luna drearily, "Although I am a little tired..."

"No-one's any fun!" Draco pouted.

As he skittishly avoided the gaze of Luna and Neville, Draco clapped his hand on his knee and without a word, scampered down the corridor.

"Wait- what's he doing? _WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" _yelled Neville, as Luna sat, still in her other world.

"I'm going to see what's taking so long, Long_bottom!" _insisted Malfoy.

Malfoy flinched when his foot fell on a trick-flagstone ("Bugger!") Hastening and making softer footfalls, he reached the statue of the bird. Before he had time to utter 'Cherry Drops', the statue twisted and began to lower- Hermione must be leaving.

"Guys!" he yelled to Neville and Luna, "she's back!"

As he turned to face the statue again, with a triumphant smile plastered on his face now they were ready to go, a body jumped on him. Her peppermint shampoo zoomed up his nostrils, and it took a great deal of self-control not to bring her closer to him- as if being this close wasn't enough...

And he heard sobs.

"Draco!" Hermione panted. "We can't- we're going to have to say no- we can't _do it!"_

"Do _what_?"

"What Dumbledore's ordered us to do!" Her wide green eyes were fearful as she broke her vice like grip, and faced him. Her tears swam down her cheeks mercilessly, and Draco had to hide a gasp as he realised that Hermione was crying. _Crying- since when does Hermione cry?_

More reproachful than unwanted guests at a funeral, Neville and Luna walked to them. Luna stroked her purple plaited hair nervously.

"Hermione, put us out of our misery- what is it?" whispered Draco.

She shook her head, as sobbing tremors went through her.

"She can't say it," said a shocked Neville.

Hermione did say one thing, however. "We can't."

* * *

The reverberations of Hermione's sobs as Luna and Neville comforted her danced down the corridor and back, all the way pass the bronze bird statue, and up to the ears of Albus Dumbledore. His eyes, stony and untwinkling, were transphixed to the array of objects on his work table. Now that he heard Miss. Granger's cries, he knew things would be soon done, that she had seriously taken the mission into consideration. He regretted she was crying- but there were worse states to be in, weren't they?

He stroked his long silvery beard absently, repeating the words _Cruel to be kind._

Besides, it was all for the _Greater Good._

Wasn't it?

* * *

The stone cold flagstones offered little comfort. Hermione shivered automatically, curling around Draco's touch.

"Let's sit by the fire; we can go to Gryffindor common room- you and Neville still need to pack anyway. So explain it to us there." reasoned Luna.

Hermione thought how stupid she was for crying, but she couldn't help it. She needed some release. Too many lives had been lost. Not enough of her tears had been spilt.

Hermione sniffed, and gave a weak smile.

"Odd, how you want to go to the Gryffindor fireplace when..." she said ominously. As they looked at her as if she belonged completely in an asylum, she hastily lied, "I didn't mean anything!"

They arrived at the Gryffindor common room entrance, forgetting one thing. One fat woman.

A fat _lady._

"But you're _not Gryffindors_ anymore!" pointed out the Fat Lady for the umpteenth time.

Draco drawled a yawn.

"We were- once a Gryffindor, always a Gryffindor, remember? Come on, Fat Lady- where's your team spirit?" said an empassioned Neville.

"I wasn't always fat, I'll have you know. Mean stupid children- there's more to me than my belly!" the Fat Lady sniffed pitifully. "Besides, you two were _never_ Gryffindors!" as she pointed to Luna and Draco in the shadows.

"Please?" murmured Hermione, as Neville, Luna and Draco were tactful enough to look like they were admiring the other portraits

"Please, _Magnolia?"_

The Fat Lady gasped. "You know- you know my real name..."

"Of course I do," snapped Hermione. "Anyone who reads _Hogwarts: A history _knows that. You ate into a depression when your best friend died, didn't you. You loved him- like a brother. But you loved him and he was gone."  
Magnolia let out a sound close to a cry, mangled and awash with emotion.

"We have to get through. For **_HIM_**. And for Adolous, too."

The flaking paint on the Fat Lady's portrait gathered around her eyes, almost giving the impression of tears. "The password was Adolous. You can pass." she whispered in a single breath. "It's empty- so watch out for the Floating Mistletoe- it gravitates to the nearest person."

They passed through the portrait hole.

Someone was leaning against the fireplace.

* * *

**REVIEW? i need love.**

**im like the review monster: i need reviews to _breathe!_**


	3. Neville Would Probably Go Spare

"Ron?" bellowed Hermione in disbelief.

"What you bloody doing here?" asked Ron happily.

Luna and Hermione ran into Ron hugging his neck with liberal amounts of love.

"I could ask you the same question." Hermione grinned widely.

"Gerrof me, gerrof me!" he grunted, trying to push them off him.

"We're here for a meeting with Dumbledore," said Hermione, beaming now she had her eyes set on her best friend. "How long has it been? Almost a year!" she pulled a mock angry face.

Laughing, Ron wiped his fringe away from his eyes.

"You need to get that cut, Weasley," said Draco cooly, as he kept his distance.

"Draco, my man!" Ron swept him up into his manly hug. You could see Draco squirming at the feeling of Ron's scratchy sweater on his skin. "Can't believe I'm about to say I'm glad to see you but, hey, I'm glad to see any old face these days. Nah, I'm joking- we're buds!"

"It's been too much of a while," chastised Draco, "you should have met up with us sooner- Luna and Hermione have slowly been turning into battier witches than Professor Trelawney in your absence, wondering at stupid times where you are."

"Me too," whined Neville, "only I kept it to myself..."

Ron pulled a confused face.

"You got time to catch up?" said Hermione quickly. She paused. Funny how quick her mood had changed from inconsolable to beaming. "We're going to be going away for a while, and we haven't seen you for months. Is... everything ok?"

Ron's face darkened. He coughed brazenly. "Things have been better," he eventually said with a vague wisp of his hand. "nevertheless..."

Ron ushered them to their usual places around the fireplace, telling Draco and Luna to slot themselves in wherever. Ron told the four of how rough his months had been since- well, _since._

"I've been in Romania, haven' I?" said Ron, as he brought out a flask. From the smell of it, it was a hot Butterbeer. He slurped it all in one, trickles flowing through his small red beard, gasping for breath afterwards.

"Butterbeer always tastes better warm, without butter," said Luna matter-of-factly.

"Ron looks odd, doesn't he?" whispered Harry to Hermione, "looks darker in the face. Guess that what a death does to the people left..."

"Yes, I suppose it does. Shadowed. He's so quiet now..."she replied.

Ron explained, "I've been helping Charlie out with the odd ends, but that's only a cover up: there's spies all over now," he said, meaning to shock. "But, I can't really rebuke them for anything, 'cos I'm a spy for us. I've been getting the numbers of the goblins, giants and other dark magical creatures- Hagrid would be proud! Can name almost all of them. It's been alright. Not so lonely now I've got Charlie rabbiting in me earhole all day. It's not been a picnic though. How about you all?"

"We're here on Dumbledore's order, Ron, we've got one more mission and then we get a big holiday period where we can rest. We haven't had a proper break in at least half a year; we're all so worked off our feet these days," said Luna, drifting off as usual in the middle of her point.

Smiling at how Luna always said 'we', Hermione remained tight lipped about the subject of missions, and rested her head on Luna's shoulders. She sniffed. Luna smelled of hair dye (which reminded her to tell Luna the shocking purple hair looked really nice, although she was a bit dumbfounded to say the least on the point that she had used muggle hair dye rather than a spell) and buttered crumpets: the crumpets being from Hermione's house while they rested only a few days ago. An elongated recuperation period. That was until they got the owl from Dumbledore, requesting immediate meeting.

He'd found a _way._

Dumbledore didn't need to specify a means of what he'd found a way to- they _knew._  
They had been waiting for this.

Ron's droning voice brought Hermione warily back into the present.

"So I got Luna's wand eventually from Avery- but not without a fight."

With a flourish, Ron presented Luna's wand. "Da da da da da daaa!"

"Bless the crumple horned snorkacks crumpled horn- you've got it!"  
Luna yanked her wand out of his hand. Already sparks had begun to spit out of the tip. Gleeful, with a tad of revenge in her eyes, she produced Avery's wand from her hair, and pointing her wand at Avery's wide chestnut one, she said "reducto."

She laughed for about eleven minutes until someone calmed her down.

For the last four hours of the day, as the shadows drew closer to Hogwarts and the sky became black, all six of them joined in the shallow laughter. All eyes were on Hermione each time they heard her laugh; only she knew what was to become of them tomorrow. And each time Ron laughed, Hermione's were trained to his; his laugh was so easily fake. What had happened to his deep, but nevertheless feminesque titter? Harry was right, she reasoned, it was the death that most certainly had shaken him, as it had all of them.

Hermione's stomach kept flipping whenever Ron spoke throughout. For what reason, at the time, she was not sure. Maybe it was the reaction of seeing him after near enough a year. Nothing had changed, but things had grown and adapted.

_Loss never changes._

There was a quick stolen time for merriment, to reflect back on old times.

"But Umbridge's face- that slimy toadstool- when Grawp was unearthed as The Weapon. That was priceless." Hermione smiled reminiscently.

Behind her, following her as always like an eternal shadow, Harry was in hysterics and Hermione knew from the look on him, that image of Umbridge's was in his mind.

"-wasn't it 'mione? 'mione?"

Hermione was jolted back. "Sorry Draco?"

"I said 'It's all different now', eh?" Draco said in a light voice. "Because I'm not on the wrong side anymore. I just didn't think it'd take that price to change it..." Draco stared into this flagon of firewhiskey, Hermione, Luna, Neville and Harry gazing into the fireplace.

The fire spat again.

"When are you leaving, Ron?" asked Luna, in line with Hermione's fearful thoughts.

"I'm going to stay with Dumbledore for a few days," said Ron, rapping his jnuckles on the radiator.  
"I have a SPEW declaration in need of his sign. And he wants me to learn a spell from him before I go back to Romania."

_So you cant' come with us. Sigh._

"You just want to keep a close eye, don't you Hermione?" said Harry. "It's understandable. _I_ understand."

"What comes of you in Romania, Ronald?" queried Luna.

"With dragons all day, no doubt," said Neville. "If it was me, Id' probably go-"

"Spare?" teased a twitching Malfoy.

A suddenly snarling Neville swore in Draco's direction.

_He'll be barking at you soon enough Nev, toughen up._

Hermione turned to Ron from her seat, "So you're going to be here- busy?" stammered Hermione "You won't be able to come with us, let me keep an eye on my best friend?" she added, pretending to joke.

Ron's ears pinked at the notion of Hermione caring for him wherever he was. She noted it, but she knew that ship had long since sailed. Ron shrugged non-commitally.

_Long since._

" So. Now we've all calmed down, _without_ the help of our lovely alcohol," drawled a sluggish Draco (after downing his own personal supply of firewhisky, of which he always kept a full flask upon his person. Which as Draco lectured to Neville was a 'real wizard's drink.) "Hermione. Tell us what's the plan."

Hermione run her hands down the front of her robes, wringing out the sweat that was on them.

"I guess I just wanted to forget it for a while." She waved her hand vaguely. "or make you all forget."

Luna rubbed Hermione's back and whispered to her (although Luna's stage whisper left little to mishear) "We're all ready. More fired up than the tail of a blast ended skrewt," she added eagerly.

"I don't want to say it out loud," admitted Hermione realising it as she said it. "in case I say it and then- " her voice quietened "it comes true."

"The mission's not a nightmare," stated Draco thickly, "The nightmare's everyday life."

"And it _will _happen 'mione, it will: Dumbledore," was Ron's explanation.

"Fine," She said bitterly. _I tried not to tell you._

"Spit it out!" yelled Neville haughtily.

Hermione let out a short splutter. _Can't believe I'm saying this._

"Tomorrow."

She looked around to see if the impact had hit them yet. No it had not. They were still hopeful.

"Tomorrow," she repeated "we have ready a modified Time Turner to take us back forty years. Forty years back to V-voldemorts time."

"Hermione, that name doesn't scare you anymore, remember?" said Harry. Hermione looked at him and nodded.

"We are going there to kill him. Or incapactitate him. Dumbledore says we need to get there first, and he'll tell us what we need to do. We can't just walk up and kill him, just like we can't now. The catch is- the, catch, eh." Hermione closed her mouth. _Don't say it._

"Hermione, get a hold of yourself!" bellowed Harry, sat behind her.

"We might not be able to come back. We could be stuck forty years in the past. Our families. Our loved ones. It's more dangerous there than it could be here. There's no Order of the Phoenix, and I doubt a Dumbledore to go to- he specified in the future that only to go to the past him in emergencies. And we're going to be in the vicinity of Voldemort every _day."_

The incredulous looks on all of their faces weren't enough.

"But, Hermione, forty years ago was when the Chamber of Secrets was opened," said Draco slowly. "isn't that when the Dark Lord- I mean, Voldemort- was at school."

"Yes," started Hermione "and so we'll be enrolled into Hogwarts forty years ago."

Their faces.

No-one spoke. Instead they looked at their friends around their room, each wondering where their thoughts lay, and whether the price of their lives as they knew it would be one payment too far for the end of the war.

"There's nothing else we can do, if this is the only alternative Dumbledore can come up with," said Hermione, trying to ease the tension. "This must have been the last resort."

"Well, then there's no escaping it," said Luna with profound sadness. Everyone did a double take when they realised who spoke so.

"Why us though?" said Neville bitterly. "I've only got my Gran left. If I go, she's got no-one. She's a tough woman, but I've always been there for her. And she has for me. Why not someone of the order of the phoenix go?"

"Dumbledore said there was no-one left to do the job. All the other groups of Dumbledore's Army have disbanded for whatever reason: even Ginny and Fred and George. They can't risk their lives anymore. Hagrid can't use a time-turner because he's half-giant, and Dumbledore can't very well pop back forty years when he's the cornerstone from us losing the war!" Hermione stopped for a moment when she realised she had ended up yelling. "The death eaters outnumber us in the hundreds- even more so after the battle of twowands. Tonks was the first to fall of many. There's only a handful of them left and they've all been left to protect the Vault."

Everyone sighed: there really was no alternative.

"Well, If they're all guarding the vault, then I suppose this is it. I'm in," said Luna

"As am I," piped up Draco  
"I... I am too," said Neville, swallowing the last of his mead.

"yes." Was all Hermione could muster.

And a nod from Harry in Hermione's direction sealed the deal.

"Well, I'm turning in for the night," said a yawning Draco "I'm going to bag Neville's bed!"  
With that, he fled up the stairs to the Gryffindor dorms, a hysterical Neville hot on his tails.

Hermione could faintly hear Neville's attempt of the non-verbal spell (in Neville's case was whispered without him noticing) _Petrificus Totalus, _and Neville's chuckle.

"You'd better move him!" chided Hermione to the ceiling, "he can't sleep on the floor all night."

A drawn out sigh, then trudging, then the sound of something heavy being dragged.

Hermione smiled in victory.

"I'll head for the sack aswell. I'll need to check my pillowcases for bowtruckles soon enough, so no time like the present to get started," said Luna cheerily.

That left Hermione, Ron and Harry. Harry winked at Hermione and skipped up the staircase to the dormitories behind Luna.

Hermione mechanically began to distinguish the grate, and move around the empty goblets, finally cleaning them with '_Episkey'._

Ron stood up to within arms length of Hermione. She could feel his hot breath reach the hairs on the back of her neck. His breathing was uneven, and fast. She could imagine that behind him his face was radiating red. Most of the red would probably be coming from his ears, but that was a given.

"I'm sorry it didn't work out," he said suddenly.

Hermione caught her breath in her throat just before she gasped. She knew what he meant.  
"Me too." She turned to face him, and hugged him tightly. Ron held her tighter, and she felt a wet patch forming on her shoulders.

"In the end it was for the greater good, remember that." She said to him, stroking his hair.

"Maybe it happened when the time was right?" hiccupped Ron, "maybe that was a sign to say we weren't meant for each other? Maybe me and you aren't a match?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But his death wasn't at the right time in any way. I'm going to bed."

With that, Hermione gathered her heavy black cloak and trudged up the steep stone stairs.

"I'm coming with you to, to Voldemort's time," Ron called to her. "I can't see you after six months and then never see you again. There's still a chance." He said the last bit more to himself, but Hermione heard.

_Tomorrows the big day._

"You'll protect me, won't you Harry?" she said to Harry, who had been waiting for her at the top of the stairs. He got her hand and squeezed it tightly.  
"Protego?" he asked with a smile. "Nah, on this mission you'll be needing more than your body magically protected."

She returned a knowing smile back at him. She carried on up the set of staircase for the girls.

Each step on the stairs remined her of the prospect of the war ending. Like a righteous drum beat, things were now in motion, there was a stand.

And there was now a chance, a beautiful shining tiny chance that things could soon be different, if not for Hermione (for at least forty years) but for the people that now lived around her at this moment in time. It wasn't a sacrifice, not really. It was a debt, and one Hermione most of all now she thought about it, was willing to give.

"_No goodbyes," said Dumbledore. "No-one must know what you have done." _It was a good thing none of them had picked up on that tonight. She was going to have to let them worry about that at the last minute.

"Goodnight, " she said, as she blew the lantern next to her, heading into her bed.

Dreams flew in and out of her mind, but the one that stayed with her till daylight was her falling onto snakes, hissing and spitting to her to be still as she fell further and futher, down, down until blackness was there, and her eyes finally opened.


	4. Inside, there is another inside

DONT FORGET TO READ THE AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END ;)

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**And now, a little clarity.**

You see, there is more than just the one side to Hermione. As is the case with other people, but with Hermione... well, theres-

Ugh, let's just start again.  
Hermione has two states of knowledge.  
One side of her, or _state, as we should call it,_ is unknowing, worrying and strong.

The other knowing, grinning and running for the edge.

The hidden one always wins.  
The hidden one always cracks.

Then she remembers what happens, hopefully Luna, Neville and Draco could wrench her wand from her.  
But still, it's not worth the risk.

Look at her smile, if you're wondering which Hermione you're talking to. Other parts of her creep through. You'll just have to find them.

There was even a prophecy about her. It's not a big one. It's not going to affect their lives- what the prophecy says has always happened. But what the prophecy says **proves it.**

**There are two sides to her. Broken, fragmented by loss and despair.**

**And prophecies never lie.**

_'Intellect that of a burning sun  
__Outsider, deserving of wand  
__Inside, she knows not  
__Of the other inside, inside  
__Her widened smile says it has crept back  
__And it will only be time until the penance is paid  
The love is lost, in way for something bigger than love  
__and the Other shall rise again.'_

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**A/N I wonder if it's too early for if anyone's noticed the plot hints- why is Hermione in two?**

**I am a little too elusive, give it time!**

**But if you _have_ figured a slice of it out, keep it to yourself ;) **

**5 REVIEWS FOR ANYONE WHO CAN GUESS WHAT THE PROPHECY/WHY HERMIONE IS SPLIT?**


	5. Somewhere Unimportant

Let's Backtrack

* * *

A plume of jet black smoke burrowed around the stone buttress, deers and their younglings scattered away, into the receeding trees. The smoke dispersed, and in its place, two men stood, in the middle of their conversation.

"I don't care what you say- either she comes to proves her worth and gain our trust, or she comes already victorious, with the wand of the Dark Lord in her hand."

"So you're saying Victor," sneered the taller of the two "that either way whether she's here victorious or not, we are to welcome her with open arms?" He began to grind his teeth, wincing quietly at the nerves at the bottom.

The tall man wrenched his bowler hat off and his companion, Victor, followed suit.

"She has told us the woman is ready. _She_ is sure the woman will succeed, Willet, that's the problem," said Victor, exasperated.

"It'll be our necks on the line if she doesn't, and what then? What will we do then" the tall, jowly face of Adolous Brood reached into Victor's.

"I can't- avoid the killing curse coming slap-bang at me – and much less, I don't want to either!" said the Victor indignantly, his rotting breath curling Adolous' eyebrows.

"No-one can," swallowed Brood quietly. "But Granger would try. As indignant, and powerful than anyone I've met. Infact, I was there when Dumbledore told her of the mission. I was using a sub-par novely pair of extendable ears. Lucky I had my portkey close at hand. So much determination in her eyes. So much knowledge. Sadness, too. She's got a better chance than Dumbledore ever had, I'd wager," he said, smacking his lips together.

_Bloody Dumbledore, it was always that codger that got all of the respect. What a sap.  
_"Irregardless," dismissed Victor pompously "the statistics and strategies could go all the way up to heaven and back: She isn't going to live past next week. She's not going to succeed, and we have to come up with a better reason why we didn't kill the Dark Lord when we had the chance: we're in a time zone when he's nigh killable. So really, what we're talking about is that either way we'll be on the chopping block. It'll be _our_ fault that we didn't stop him."

To Victor the accusation of the blame being shared sounded one sounded, and he tried to explain himself. He fingered the rim on his hat, and stuttered his way through his sentences. "He had Marjorie, you know, before he rose to power." His friend gasped. _Marjorie?_

"I'm sorry. I don't know what became of her; I was too afraid to ask." Victor let his head lower in shame.

"Don't dwell on it, Victor. If our loyalties were with the Dark Lord, or even with the Order of the Phoenix, then this wouldn't have happened- but why would we change our loyalties- it's our belief." In a lower voice, Adolous said plainly. "Wherever Marjorie is now, she is at peace. I promise. It's been fifty years..." at which point, he coughed, hiding fat salty tears.

_Marjorie.  
_The tall frame of Adolous lifted one of his hands onto his companion's shoulder. "Silence, friend. Soon you shall rest. Here, Granger comes."

The woman swathed in a midnight cloak that billowed around the wind ran manically through the trees casting long-winded spells to each one as she fled past._ Hopefully there's enough time._ And just behind her, struggling to keep up with her were Victor and Adolous, their chafing legs (Victor) and blistering feet(Adolous) hindering them to the fullest after an hour of this frivolity.

"She's doing good so far," panted Victor, holding his hat in place. "one wouldn't go far to say she's done it, but she's like _Fiendfyre!"_

"Nicely put." The rhythmic footfalls stretched out the silence. "She's faster than us, though, how is that? Must be age, 'eh? Always catches up with me, don't it." said Adolous, grinding his teeth.

"As will you to me!" Yelled the woman, laughing, skipping deftly around the thick trees.

The men grunted. They weren't going to catch up with the definition of youth and beauty as much as they were going to become it themselves.

"Adolous Willet, I think this is where we rest." Victor looked at his friend side wards, looking for a small sign.

Adolous turned. "Brood, We rest."

And then they slumped against the nearest tree.

"Can you feel a vibration?"

Adolous flinched, pulling an alarming look.

"The tree, you sausage. It's... shaking..."

And then the shaking grew stronger, violently at the roots.

"Granger?" wondered Adolous.

"Run!"

Like runners hearing the starting pistol, Willet and Brood scampered down the uneven slope, looking for a mass of frizzy brown curls or a black cape in between the trees.

"Can you feel the ground shaking from all directions?" yelled Willet to Brood.

"Yes!" Brood yelled back, "Do you think she's addled with the ground too much?"

The shaking stopped.

"No, it's not because of that," said Granger, emerging from foliage behind them. "I was just activating a touch-trap mechanism, if anybody passes through any of the trees surrounding Hogwarts with the Dark Mark on them, the trees transform into a replica of Askaban- dementors and all. It's completely inescapable, as is the real thing- or so I've heard. Learnt it from studying the habitats of Grindylows and applying it to Gamps twelve Laws of Transfiguration back doors in my third year," she added casually.

Willet and Brood got a good look at Hermione. She had a fierce look that made her look taller than she was, if that was possible. And a complete polar opposite to Marjorie- thank god- in Adolous' eyes. _No worry of falling in love with her there, then. _The pale image of Marjorie in his head burst brighter, his heart racing with happiness.

"Well, I better get going, I've done this job. Onto the big ones..."

And she was off, disapparating on the high hill on Hogwarts groun-

"How did she do that! How did she disapparate within Hogwarts grounds!"  
With his mouth agape, Adolous pointed to the place where she had just a second ago been.

A note.

_Dumbledore- 'that old codger'- is a good teacher._

"Albus _bloody_ Dumbledore. Wow. You know, Adolous?"

"Yes?"

"We got in on the wrong side of a fucking triangle."

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Reviews are what make me want to write more, eh, more. Just saying :P


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